A Twisted Fate
by Emily Raven
Summary: After making sure Howl was alive and well, Sophie left with Prince Justin to Kingsbury. When Howl finally came to take her back, the broken, frail, weak, scared Princess Sapphra was not what he expected. SophiexHowl RR please!


A/N: This is the fanfiction of a movie that is AMAZING, which I have seen THREE TIMES in theatres. I wouldn't help but wondering, "What If?" like I did with 'Over and Over'. I'm that kind of person. But in my "What If?" s, the intended pairings will end up together, somehow…read on, dear…reader.

* * *

**(((Sophie POV, After She Exited the Door from Howl's Childhood)))**

There he was, sitting there, feathers bleeding and ruffled…and I couldn't help thinking it was my fault. Because it WAS my fault. I ran up to him, Hein leading me, the door disappearing behind us.

I pried apart the damp, tangled feathers covering where I knew his face was.

Oh, Lord…

He looked straight at me, eyes glassy, a small trail of blood descending his face. Tears flooded my eyes, blinding me. What happened? Who did this to you? Why? I couldn't stop crying. It was my fault. All my fault. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to make you wait so long…"

Softly, I leaned forward, pressing my lips against his cold ones.

He didn't respond. Not even a breath. I felt like something was tearing me to pieces and devouring them ravenously.

I guess I could say I was broken.

"C-can you take me to Calcifer?"

Without a word, he stood, balancing on one foot. I stepped onto a claw, Hein jumping on behind me. We took off.

* * *

From then, everything went so fast. We found them; Calcifer was alive…even after I dumped water on him. The Witch gave me Howl's heart…I gave it back to Howl…Calcifer was still alive…and Turnip Head turned into Prince Justin after I kissed him on the cheek.

I was slightly distracted from the conversation about the Prince's enchantment by Howl's awakening. "Wha…? What happened? I feel a weight on my chest…" Before I could, Markl jumped on his master in a grand hug, explaining everything hurriedly as I caught the Witch's: "I know that spell! Broken by the kiss of your true love…" I whipped around. The _Prince_? But-I'm the eldest! Why…?

"Sophie…" The Prince bowed, a handsome smiled on his face. "Dear Sophie, will you come with me back to the Palace?" There was a slight shuffling behind me, and a: "Calcifer! You're back!" and "Why's there such a big _frown_ on your face, Master Howl?" and last of all: "O-o-ooh! Someone's _jealous!_"

I ignored that. If I were the Prince's true love, he must be mine, too, which means we'll live happily ever after…even if he wasn't Howl…But I'm the oldest…!

I don't get it.

Then there was the quick blur again, in which I agreed hesitantly, the Prince jumped in joy, and Calcifer bullied Howl into sending for a carriage from the Palace, telling them their Prince had been found.

Half an hour later, what was once the floor of the Moving Castle had been lifted into the air by Howl and Calcifer, and moved forward to meet the carriage. Howl was appointed Sulliman's heir, much to his displeasure, but he brightened when he found out he was to have a partner, Sulliman's niece, the 'young and beautiful' Leine, who was taking his spot until Sulliman's death.

Then it was me and the Prince into the carriage, along with Hein, and off we were to the Palace.

* * *

"So…it was this young lady."

"You've met her before?"

"Yes…she came to defend Howl, as his mother…a sweet girl, in love. But not with Justin…"

"But she's his true love!"

"Yes, Leine, that is so. But is he hers?"

"…?"

"Leine, for her safety, y_ou _must always accompany her."

"Me? I'm not-!"

"Oh, don't be foolish, child. If you aren't there, those silly court ladies will have her cornered in no time…"

"Yes…true."

"Do you accept responsibility?.

Pause.

"Yes, Lady Sulliman. I do."

* * *

"Miss Sophie?"

"Hmm?"

Sophie turned from the grand French windows in her new room. "Yes, what is it?"

A young lady of twenty-one walked in. She had beautiful, silky chocolate hair, which was smooth until her collar, where it blew out in neat, smooth, perfect ringlets. They flowed down to her waist. There was a green silk ribbon around the part where smooth turned ringlet, and it was pinned at each end behind an ear. Two white, jade-edged feathers came out from the pin behind her left ear. She had large, curious chocolate eyes, and wore hoop earrings. There were about the size of a bottle cap, silver, round and shiny. Her dress was pale green, with long, flowing sleeves, tight at the waist, and flowing outwards at the skirt. A darker green piece covered the skirt, parting at the front and ending gathered with ruffles at the back.

She was very, very beautiful.

Sophie stared at her in amazement. She felt shabby, in her old blue-grey work dress and boots. She managed a decent curtsey, and the lady swept a grand one. "H-hello. I'm Sophie Hatter…"

"Hi! I'm Leine Angeline Sulliman van Haughten. I'm Sorceress Sulliman's niece, you know." Leine paused, taking a seat on Sophie's four-poster. "I heard you were going to marry the Prince!"

Sophie nodded dumbly.

Leine smiled, continuing. "He was going to marry me, you see. We were very good friends, but then the King said he had to marry me _immediately_, so there was no time for the wedding he was planning. They got into one of their quarrels and Justin threatened to throw Edmund-that's the King's name-over the Palace roof. But then he ran off, and got turned into a scarecrow, and you saved him, 'cause you were his true love, and now he's going to marry you."

Sophie's eyes widened. "Oh! I'm…I'm terribly sorry, Lady Leine." "Princess. I come from Mandola." Sophie's eyes widened even more. "I'm sorry, your majesty." Leine stood up. "No matter. We must get you prepared, there's a ball in an hour, and you are going with me. _We_ are going to be _very_ good friends."

She pulled Sophie up too. Looking at her apologetically, she said, "Aunt says to rename you. She said 'Sophie' was too plain, and un-royal. My name means 'Worldly Goddess' in Neya, which is my country's native language, though nobody speaks it anymore." Sophie nodded dumbly. "I'm the oldest child in my family. That's why I got such a name." Leine frowned. "Oh, nonsense! I'm the second oldest. It goes, Mae, me, 'Kari, Aya, Kiki, Shika and Kensuke. And the only girl with a brain besides me is Kiki. The other girls are all brought up to be perfect little wives. And I'd always wanted a name like 'Sophie' or 'Lettie' or 'Martha'. They're a nice sort compared to Aya's 'Beautiful Iris' or Mae's 'Rose Bride'. Uugh."

Sophie smiled.

Leine was so nice to a plain Jane like her.

"Well, what is my name, Leine? Can I call you that?"

"Yes," her friend decided, "It's a change from 'My Lady' and 'Your Majesty' and 'Princess'. You name…hmm…Sophie, Sophie. Sophie."

Suddenly, she jumped. "That's it! 'Sapphra'!" Sophie stared at her. "…Sapha?" "No, Sophie! Sapphra! It means, 'Lady of Love' in Neya. Perfect."

"Now," Sophie smiled, "A dress." Leine groaned. "Dresses. And. Corsets. Kill."

* * *

After an hour, where Leine declared Sophie did not need a corset, and mumbled about how lucky some people were, Sophie discovered that Mandola etiquette declared that noble and royal ladies have their waists thin enough for them to circle it with twice their hand span. Leine loosened it up a bit in Ingary, but Sophie though she was slim enough not to need a corset, which actually sagged around her to give more of a waist build.

Finally, they picked out a dress for Sophie. It was lavender silk.

It had a drooping, long piece at the front that looped around her chest and ended at the back, each end pinned to the scooping back of the top with a few inches flowing. It had no straps and the front was covered by the drooping piece. The rest of the dress was just like Leine's except the skirt was covered by a glittering satin piece instead. It was a perfect fit when Sophie tried it on.

"You look so BEAUTIFUL!" Leine sobbed into her handkerchief like a mother about to see her daughter married. Sophie found it scary, and wondered at her own mother's reaction when she found out that she was going to marry the Prince.

"There's not much we can do with your hair," said Leine, fiddling with the short, silvery-white locks, "But it's so pretty!"

In the end, Leine figured out a hair-growth spell and grew Sophie's hair, but fumbled with the spell needed to stop it, letting it grow knee long before it stopped.

Leine split her hair into two layers: the top was braided into a thick braid, intertwined with shiny, glittering violet-blue ribbons, and would around her head once, the rest left to flow whit the newly waved lower layer.

Last of all, a beaded blue-and-purple choker made of sapphire and amethyst diamond insets was placed around her neck. "Done!"

Sophie sat down cautiously on the bed. "Who'll be at the ball?" she asked. Leine considered. "Well…"

"Let's see. Kiki will be there, you HAVE to meet her, and there'll be Aunt, and Edmund - not Justin, though, he went to visit the Sultan of Zanzib, how rude - and Princess Valeria, Edmund's daughter…oh, and Wizard Howl - what's that shocked look on your face? He's probably not coming-with his apprentice Markl, and Lady Angorian, Princess Beatrice, Ladies Marienne, Emmaline and Eladia, lots of other nobles, Wizard Kennedy, Wizard Pendragon, Wizard Sonya, Laurel-Sainte-Claire, and lots of new soldiers and lords, probably the North Witch, too."

Sophie stared at her.

"Leine, I don't think I can do this…"

"Oh, silly girl! Yes you can! Come on, let's go."

* * *

The ballroom was enormous. Silver and gold and diamond sparkled everywhere. If it weren't for Leine, Sophie would've fainted.

Kiki of Mondola, or Kiyoumi, which was her real name, was every bit like her sister. She had bright, sterling blue eyes. Her hair was a rich, long, dark ebony. It was loosely curled and waved at random, and piled loosely but fashionably atop her head, where a blue silk ribbon kept it in place. Her dress was pale blue silk, and was embroidered with fine diamond-woven string in exquisite patterns and pictures.

"You're Sophie? I've heard so much about you. Laurel-Sainte-Claire – that lady over there, the one who speaks something she calls 'French' and is from 'France, oui, c'est ca' – is so jealous, and tossing around remarks about you…evil little-"

When Leine interrupted, asking about how her family was going, Sophie slipped away to sit on a settee near one of the walls.

"Oh. It's _you_." A grand lady with too much make up and a paper-thin waist underneath her bright pink dress walked over. She was beautiful, but her sneer his that. "_Comment a'ppelle tu?_ Sophia, was it? I see. Ugly little thing, aren't you? Oh, _pardon,_ _madame…je suis Laurel-Sainte-Claire_. Note that I am of a higher status than you. I don't know what you did to steal my Prince's heart, but believe you me, I will get it back."

She stepped forward, opening her mouth and her little pink lace fan again, ready to toss more insults at the meek purple-clad girl, when someone interrupted.

"Sophie?"

* * *

A/N: Guess who…it's easy enough, actually. Everyone has a brain.

I think.

Please review…I'm starting on Chapter Two now!


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